Who Will Tell the People? - New York Times:
“A few weeks ago, my wife and I flew from New York’s Kennedy Airport to Singapore. In J.F.K.’s waiting lounge we could barely find a place to sit. Eighteen hours later, we landed at Singapore’s ultramodern airport, with free Internet portals and children’s play zones throughout. We felt, as we have before, like we had just flown from the Flintstones to the Jetsons. If all Americans could compare Berlin’s luxurious central train station today with the grimy, decrepit Penn Station in New York City, they would swear we were the ones who lost World War II.How could this be? We are a great power. How could we be borrowing money from Singapore? Maybe it’s because Singapore is investing billions of dollars, from its own savings, into infrastructure and scientific research to attract the world’s best talent — including Americans.”
My experience of Singapore is exactly the same as Thomas Friedman’s. Comparing the state of Changi Airport to Heathrow makes you weep (if you’re British) and must be a source of pride (if you’re Singaporean).
Tags: Changi airport, Economics, Singapore, Technology
Some other great airports to check out are Madrid, Munich, and even (shudder) Heathrow Terminal 5.
The quality of service is also staggeringly different. At Changi I lost my passport and only realised when I tried to go through security at the gate. A soldier simply asked my name and handed it to me. Someone had found it, traced it to my flight and it was at my gate waiting for me.
At JFK, I boarded the plane without going through passport control. As I was about to sit down, I realized I still had my little green bus ticket that 'needed' to be entered in the computer to say I had left the USA. American Airlines was most unhappy when I insisted on leaving the aircraft to return it. I might add they didn't seem to do anything with it.
One has real systems and the other has the appearance of systems. It is as simple as that.
Weep? I don't know. Carry on doing what you are doing but also raise it to the faces of the powers that be too. At the website, "they work for you", you can send your MP a link to this article and tell him/her you thought s/he might be interested. This is very topical given the difficulties at T5. You will only get a polite note back. But it takes you a few seconds and if we all do it every time we are surprised by the quality of service, they will get the message eventually.
A very good idea, Jo. I don't think that MPs actually realise the harm that having such a shoddy airport does to the country's image.